The Raven
by slvrfng
Summary: [HOLES] Squid has weird dreams. One night he has a drem with a raven in it. What does the raven want and why?
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One  
  
Squid lay on his cot, staring into total darkness. He wondered why he had even done such a thing. He knew he would get busted for it, though. But what could he do? He was nothing but a worthless kid just waiting to either be picked up or thrown away.  
  
He looked over to his side where darkness slept next to him. As he stared into darkness, he drifted into a horrible place.  
  
"What are you doing!" I exclaimed. I saw my mom with an upside-down bottle of Whiskey in her right hand. She unsteadily swung the bottle across my face. "It's all your fault you stupid bastard!" she screamed at me. "We hate you, so just get away from us!" I felt a pang of sadness and guilt. Why was my mom always like this? Whenever something went wrong, she always blamed it on me. I wasn't cursed. My dad blamed things on me too. I was sick of it, so just ran to my room. On the way up the stairs, my mom threw the bottle at me, but just barely missed. When I got to my room, I buried my face in my pillow. I had a small cut on my lip and another smaller one on my left temple. I raised my head and looked out my fogged window. I could just make out a some kind of black bird, staring at my through the fog. I opened the window.  
  
Squid shot up like a bullet in cold sweat. Something about that bird creeped him out. He didn't plan on telling anybody else about it. They would probably make fun of him for being afraid of a bird in a dream. They weren't that mean. He just wanted to be sure. After all, he was one of the toughest guys in D-tent. Not one of the most scary dreams. He had had worse, but never any with that bird. "Hey man," someone said. "You okay?" Squid's head jerked around. He could see nothing but black. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just.leave me alone." "Sorry." He sighed. "Who are you anyway?" "Ummm.It's me. Zero." "Oh, okay. What are you doing up anyway?" "I'm always up at night. I'm not sure if I sleep that much. If I don't, then it's probably because--" "Whatever," interrupted Squid. "I don't care. Just go to sleep man." "I'll see what I can do."  
  
The bird stared at me with beady black eyes. It was like it was looking right through me. I jumped off the windowsill. The weather wasn't foggy. My brain was foggy. Whey I looked up, I saw a bright light. It was blurred, but it was no doubt the sun. I walked over to the bird. It was nothing more than a small black blur. "What are you?" I asked. My voice was a little raspy. "I'm the raven who never sleeps. I am in charge of all he keeps," the raven answered. "In charge of--" But the raven had disappeared and I was beginning to fall.  
  
"He always wakes up like that." "Man, does he got a fever or something?" "Hey X, what if he was dreaming about yellow-spotted lizards chasing him?" "Then he would probably have that dream for the rest of his life." "Hang on guys. I got it." Squid felt the soothing feeling of water on his face. But the not-so- soothing part was that it was really cold. Now, where would cold water be at Camp Green Lake? Duh, Magnet must have somehow stolen some from the Warden's cabin. A few seconds later, his eyes opened. "Hey Mom," Caveman called. "I think he's going to be all right." "That's good," Mom replied. Squid slowly got up and stretched. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a covered in sweat a little too early." His eyes fell on Zero who was standing off somewhere on the side. Zero reminded him of something, but he didn't know what. He decided to just drop it and begin their daily routine. When he got up everyone filed out of the tent. Squid followed them and noticed that someone was following him. He turned sharply around, but saw nothing but the tent. He must be hearing things. As they ate breakfast, Squid's head fell into the mystery food. He was still awake, but tired. He heard Zigzag snigger. "Hey man," he heard Magnet said. "It's not that funny. He's just worn out. Right man?" He elbowed Squid on side and Squid nodded his head. He brought his head up. Half of his face was covered with black gooey stuff. It smelled pretty bad. He needed to throw up. But he didn't. "Hey," Caveman said. "You all right? You look kinda' sick." Squid wiped the food off of his face and said, "I'm fine. Just tired."  
  
"All right you Girl Scouts," grumbled Mr. Sir. "Hurry up and get your shovels." Now, half of the D-tent boys were quickly grabbing their shovels and running a few feet away to make room for the other guys. The half consisted of Caveman, Armpit, Zigzag and Magnet. Magnet had really only rushed so that he couldn't be caught taking Mr. Sir's keys to the water truck. As they followed Mr. Sir, Squid and Zigzag noticed Magnet smirking. He noticed them looking at him and lifted them out of his pocket enough just so that the ring was revealed. Zigzag sniggered and looked at Squid who was just staring at the keys.  
  
Ten minutes after Mr. Sir had left, Zigzag asked Squid what was wrong. He said that it was nothing. He said that he wasn't really feeling good. Zigzag left him alone and resumed digging three holes away from Squid. Then Squid started to wonder why he didn't laugh. He remembered something that his dad had told him. He wasn't sure if it was from a dream or not.  
  
"If something miserable ever happens in your life, then never laugh again. When you laugh, then that means you're okay with that one miserable thing. You can't be okay with it. People tell you to get over it. Don't listen to them. Listen to someone who understands you and has been through what you have been through."  
  
He wasn't sure if that was all he said, but it was close enough for him. He looked around him, wondering if anybody had been through what he had been through.  
  
At around 2:30, Squid walked back to the camp. He was looking forward to a shower. He could be alone. After Caveman returned from the shower room, Mom announced a meeting in their tent, only for D-tent boys. It was 20 minutes after dinner. When everybody was sitting on their cot, Mom said, "I know that we all have problems. We all have reasons to why we're here. You're all guilty whether you like it or not. So, I called this meeting so that we could all share how we got sent here. "You mean you want us to blame somebody else for what we did?" Zigzag asked. "No stupid," said Magnet. "He wants us to tell about why we got here." There was a long "Oh" from Zigzag that sounded kind of stupid. But nobody ever laughed at Zigzag. He was one of the most dangerous kind of guys at Camp Green Lake. "So, I guess we'll start with--" but Mom was cut off by Armpit shouting, "Mom!" "You want to know why I'm here?" Magnet, Squid, Armpit and Zigzag nodded their heads excitedly. "Well, it all started out when," he stopped. "Wait! You guys aren't fooling me again." "Damn," muttered Magnet. He had tricked Mom before into telling them why Mr. Sir was so fat. "Now, as I was saying," Mom continued, "We'll start off with Ricky." Zigzag had been watching the sun go down while they were talking. It took exactly 468 seconds to go down. But that really wasn't true. "Hey, Ziggy," said X-Ray. "Huh?" was all he said. "Man what are you doing?" asked Squid. "Oh. I was just watching the sun set. Doesn't it look cool?" Magnet walked over to a hole it one of the tent corners. "Dude! The sun ain't even touching the horizon." The other guys came over and laughed at Zigzag. Except for Squid and Zero that is. "Man, what are you guys laughing at? It's close enough to look like one," Zigzag said. The rest of D-tent had to agree. "Anyway," Mom started, "Why don't you tell us how you got here Ricky?" "Umm.well.I set fire to a bunch of styrofoam at an elementary school. The fire got out of control and burnt a portable classroom. It was really cool though." "Ricky, it isn't okay to set fire to things." Zigzag turned to Mom. "Damn, I know that. I just like to watch things burn." "Ricky," Mom started, "That isn't an excuse. You could have killed someone." "So? The fire looked pretty." "Pretty? Fire is violent, and not pretty. It could have killed you." The rest of D-tent eyed each other, feeling a lecture coming. "I'm sorry boys," Mom said. Though they knew that he wasn't sorry at all. "Why don't we go on with Magnet?" Magnet sighed. "I already told you guys why I was sent here, but I might as well tell you again. I tried to free a puppy from a cage. I walked out of the pet shop casually. I didn't get caught. That is, until my pocket started barking." "Very interesting," said Mom. "So do I get the day off?" asked Magnet. "What for?" "You know. The thing I did was interesting." "Sure. You get it off until 4:30." "Fine with me," Magnet said. "Next, why don't we have Squid tell us why he's here?" Squid was afraid this was going to happen. What could he tell them? What should he tell them? "Well, I got sent here because I was always breaking into houses and stealing stuff. It wasn't much. Just lose change and cans of soda. But one night a little girl saw me and had her parents call 9-1-1. I would've gotten away, but this 23-year-old had me by the arms. I was stuck. The worst part about that night was that I was trying to steal something expensive. Can't remember what it was, but I got busted real bad." "You mean someone beat you up?" asked Zigzag. He was still watching the sun set. "No stupid," Magnet said again. "It means that the police probably sent him here for a long time." He turned to Squid. "Right Squid?" Squid shrugged and laid down on his cot. He didn't listen to what the other guys had to say. He really didn't care. But when he was asleep, he had no idea what was going to happen to him next.  
  
Squid jumped out of bed, Mom's horn annoying him. As he got up he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Zero. "You okay?" he asked. Squid looked puzzled. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Why?" Zero didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked out of the tent leaving Squid alone. He sighed and walked to the canvas flap. He pushed it to the side and looked up at the stars. He was sure he could make out a picture of a mermaid. "Hey Squid," X-Ray called. "You comin'?" He looked up at X-Ray. "Yeah."  
  
Squid got up out of his hole. As he got in line he saw Armpit flip Mr. Sir off. He didn't know why, but couldn't help but smirk a little. Poor Armpit got yelled at by Mr. Sir because apparently he saw him. As Squid waited in line Magnet and Zigzag had gotten into a fight. He guessed it was because Magnet said that he would steal Zigzag's TV Guide even though he was just joking, but Zig took it seriously so they got into a fight. "Man," said Magnet, "I was just joking!" "Yeah, right. Just leave me and my TV Guide alone!" At that moment Mr. Sir and Armpit returned. "What's goin' on here?" "N-nothing," said X-Ray. "They was just fooling around. Right guys?" "Yeah," said Zigzag. "It's nothing. We're good. Right Magnet?" Magnet sighed and said, "Yeah, that's it. It's nothing. We're cool." Mr. Sir grumbled and turned, Armpit's canteen still in his hand. When Squid stepped up, he su'nly asked, "Why are you such a pig?" Mr. Sir turned around and towered over him. "What'd you say?" Squid was speechless. "Did anybody hear what this boy said?" he called. Everybody was silent. The only thing that could be heard were the calls of the birds. Mr. Sir turned back to Squid. "So, what did you say?" He couldn't answer. Who would? Who could? "Well, you'll go off easy today. Give me your canteen." "H-huh?" stammered Squid. "You heard me. Give me the plastic thing in your hand!" Squid quickly handed Mr. Sir his canteen. He was saved. But why? What had stopped Mr. Sir from killing him? And why in the hell were there crows flying all over the place? Nobody seemed to notice the awkwardness of the sky. Or what was in the sky. How could there be life in the sky? As Squid resumed digging Zero walked over to his hole. He heard a crow caw. "You done yet?" Zero asked. "Not really," replied Squid. "Measure it." "Why?" Zero just stared at him with a serious look. This made Squid nervous, so he measured his hole. "Just a foot and a half deeper and two feet wider," said Squid. "I can finish it." "What?" Zero didn't say anything. "Why?" Zero didn't say anything. "Sure. I guess." Zero jumped in his hole. "Why?" Squid repeated. Zero said nothing. As the minutes passed X-Ray got more and more irritated with Squid. Sometime at 12:20, he walked over to Squid. "Man, what are you doing?" he asked. Squid looked at him and shrugged. "Nothing, I guess." "Well, get to work." "Don't gotta. I got someone doin' it for me." He pointed down in his hole. X-Ray saw Zero digging. This was starting to get old. "Man, I'm tired of guys working for other guys. Just dig your own hole okay? What's so hard about that?" "Hey man, you don't know what I've been through," said Squid, getting up so that X-Ray was 8 inches below his face. "So what? What have you been through?" he hit Squid on the shoulder. "C'mon. You can tell us." "Maybe I can't," Squid said. Zero pulled himself out of Squid's hole. "C'mon. Spill it. We know you were lying about how you got here and crap like that. So let's see what you've been through. Squid looked down at him. Obviously, he wasn't going to say anything about his past life. X-Ray laughed a little. "Man, you ain't got a past. Even if you do, it's probably you being all spoiled and livin' in a mansion and crap like that. Know what? I ain't gonna take no more of that bullshit. You ain't gotta tell us nothing. Just dig your hole, and I won't bother you." "But he can't." 


	2. Armpit's Suggestion

Thanks to all who reviewed. Special thanks to GeeseFlySouthForTheWinter for giving me an idea.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Squid stared at the black ceiling, thinking about what had happened earlier. He wondered why he couldn't dig his hole anymore. X-Ray decided to lay off because he needed to finish his hole as well. The other guys were going to get into the whole thing, but they really didn't have a big thing to do about it. The biggest thing that any of the guys had done about the "fight" was that Caveman told Squid to measure the hole. So at dinner X-Ray got him an extra carton of juice in apology. At first Squid didn't know why X-Ray had given it to him, but then X-Ray said that he was sorry and Squid understood. "You awake?" someone asked. "Yeah," replied Squid. "This is the r-I mean Zero by the way." "What do you want?" "Umm.I just wanted to say--" "Whatever. Just let me go to sleep, 'kay?" Zero sighed. "All right." "You go to sleep too. I actually don't want you to wake up late like me." "Sure. G'night." "Night."  
  
I suddenly appeared in a room with a lit fireplace. I looked around the room. It looked pretty familiar, but I was really concentrating on the black bird on the door. It was the raven. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "I am the bird who never speaks. Beware of the eye that always peeks," the bird said. "But you're talking right now!" I exclaimed. "I don't speak, I mimick. I am your first statistic." This was getting way too weird. But just as I walked toward the door, I tripped and fell. Now what was I in for?  
  
"Wake up Squid." "Man, you're late. Just leave him alone. He'll wake up." There was no reply. "Whatever." "Hey. C'mon. You'll be late. You know I'm saving you some trouble, right?" Squid opened his eyes and saw Zero's face. "C'mon. Get up. The other guys already left." Zero smiled a little. That was surprising to Squid. He smiled a little too. "Why are you always up at night?" Squid asked him. Zero's smile faded and he said that he didn't want to talk about it. He left the tent. When Squid got out of bed, he heard tapping from behind him. He turned around, but only saw the empty tent. This was getting a little weird.  
  
At night, when all seven were laying on their cots, Armpit said that he had a suggestion for Mom's suggestion box. Squid had once sent one saying that they should get pencils that didn't break, then he broke the pencil. Supposedly, the Warden or Mom had seen him because he had to wash dishes for a week. Caveman once wrote something about getting rid of the suggestion box. He didn't give his name or tent though. Magnet once wrote something about letting them listen to music while they dug. He said it would've helped them dig faster. He even gave his name and tent. So now, Armpit said he had a suggestion and all of the boys were sitting up or at the end of their cot. "This I gotta hear," Squid said. "Well," he started, "Why don't we break up the shower time?" "What do you mean?" asked X-Ray. "Well, when the water runs for four minutes straight, we don't have time to apply the soap. So I was thinking of letting the water run for 45 seconds then shut off. We would get as much time as we would need to put on soap. After that, the shower would run for 3 minutes and 15 seconds." There was a pause. "So what do you think?" "You amaze me Armpit," X-Ray said. "Brains and good looks." Armpit didn't know if he was joking or not. "That's really smart!" Zigzag said. "What do you think Caveman?" Armpit asked. "I think it's a really good idea, Armpit," he said. When Armpit figured out that they weren't joking, he smiled. Then they all helped him with the letter. They came up with something like:  
  
It's a waste of water to apply soap while water's running. So, why don't we break up the shower time? First the water would run for 1 minute, then shut off. It would turn on again in exactly 1 minute, enough time to apply the soap. Then the water would run again for 3 minutes. This way uses no more water, and helps us stay cleaner and smell better.  
  
They all watched Armpit proudly sign his name and tent.  
  
The next day D-tent saw Mr. Sir working on the showers. "Whatcha' doin' Mr. Sir?" X-Ray asked. "Adjusting the mechanism," he replied, "So the showers can stop and start." Magnet gave Armpit a pat on the back.  
  
After digging, Mom announced the change in the showers. "There has been a change in the showers. Don't worry, the showers will still last four minutes. But the shower will run for 1 minute and stop for exactly 1 minute, enough time to apply soap. The water will then run for the remaining 2 minutes. Remember, a clean body is a healthy body." "Did he just say 2 minutes?" asked Armpit. "Good going Armpit," Zigzag said sarcastically. "Yeah, and next time when you have a suggestion, stuff it up your ass," Squid said.  
  
After his shower, Squid mentally cursed to Armpit. As he walked in to the tent, he saw that every one of them were still mad at Armpit. Or at least Zero, Zigzag, X-Ray and himself, the only ones in the tent besides Armpit. When Caveman came in, he said, "It's all right, Armpit. You did the best you could." The others knew that Caveman didn't know that he sounded like a teacher. Zigzag sniggered. "What?" Caveman asked. Zigzag sniggered a little again. "Nothin'." Caveman sat on his cot. All eyes were on him. "What?" he repeated. "Oh, nothing. Nothing," Squid said. "Whatever," he said.  
  
That night Squid had another dream.  
  
"What am I doing back here!" I exclaimed. It was the same fire-lit room. "My master is behind you. He is your second clue," it said. I turned around, and sure enough saw nothing. "What's my 'second clue'?" I asked. "Never fear. Master's here." I turned around, and still saw nothing. "Where?" "Never fear." I heard a familiar tapping. I turned to the door. It was closed. I was getting a little creeped out. But I knew one thing: "Never fear." 


	3. A Hot Day And A Discussion

Chapter Three  
  
Three days had passed since Squid's last dream. Or nightmare. He couldn't really tell. He kept on thinking about the black bird. The room. The fire. The tapping. The tapping wouldn't stop. It was as if it was in his head.  
  
The day was sunny. Very sunny. Beads of moisture had formed on the shovel and the boys.  
  
"Could it get any hotter?" said Armpit.  
  
"I dunno. But I don't think I'm gonna talk anymore," said X-Ray.  
  
"Yeah. Hey, what time is it?" asked Caveman.  
  
"Do you think we know?" asked Squid.  
  
Caveman shrugged.  
  
"Hey guys let's just get back to digging," X-Ray said.  
  
"Thought you said you weren't gonna talk anymore," said Zigzag as he continued digging. X-Ray didn't answer.  
  
"Hey, I think I can see smoke," Magnet said after a while.  
  
"Is somethin' on fire?" asked Zigzag hopefully.  
  
"Nah. It's just the water truck," Armpit said.  
  
They continued digging. But not for long.  
  
"Water truck!" some of the boys exclaimed as they got up out of their holes. It was currently about three yards away from them. "All right," Mr. Sir said, "I only have E- tent after you guys, so hurry up."  
  
They all quickly got in line.  
  
"Hey man," Squid said pushing Zero back, "Get in your spot in line."  
  
Zero angrily went to the end of the line.  
  
"Was that so hard?"  
  
When Zigzag's turn came up he asked, "Hey, I have a question. Why are you so.grumpy.?"  
  
Mr. Sir turned to look at him. "What is the matter with you jackasses? Can't you just leave me alone?"  
  
Everyone was silent. Was that a rhetorical question? Not like anybody knew what rhetorical meant.  
  
"That's more like it."  
  
Fourty- five minutes after they got back to digging X-Ray said, "I bet you he's crying like a little girl." He cleared his throat and imitated the voice of a retarded girl, "Wah! Wah! Can't you just leave me alone? Wah Wah!"  
  
The other guys couldn't help but laugh a little. Even Zero.  
  
"Good imitation," Zigzag said.  
  
"Just doin' what I gotta do to keep us all workin'. It's only gonna get hotter and hotter. Right?"  
  
"Right," Armpit said. He was about three and a half feet in his hole. X- Ray, Zigzag and Squid were four. Magnet and Caveman were three. And Zero was done.  
  
Squid watched Zero leave. Then X-Ray. Then Zigzag. Then Armpit. Then Magnet. Then Caveman. What was he waiting for? He didn't know. He could have gone a few minutes after Zigzag, but for some reason he didn't want to. But if he did, then it sure would have saved him a lot of sweating. He headed towards the camp.  
  
In thee Wreck Room, some of the guys were singing one of three sailor songs. But they changed the words a little.  
  
"Gloucester Girls they have no tits! Squeeze away! Squeeze away! They comb their hair with codfish dicks. We are bound for a Miss Lepe`."  
  
Caveman shook his head as X-Ray Zigzag and Armpit sang. What were they going to do with Gloucester Boys? Nobody knows. Nobody probably even wants to know.  
  
Sooner or later, Squid was so tempted to sing along, that he sang the Leave Her Johnny with them. No words changed. Well, maybe a little.  
  
"Oh, I thought I heard Mr. Sir once say, "Leave her, X-Ray, leave her! You can go downtown and draw your pay. It's time for you to leave her."  
  
More words changed, but I bet that you would be bored with this chapter unless you already are. But I think that you might as well keep on reading.  
  
"Meeting in D- tent!" Mom announced. Like they cared. They were already in their tent anyway. Besides, it never was a meeting. He might as well say discussion in D- tent  
  
"Discussion in D- tent!" he said. "We're going to share what you like about one an other."  
  
There was silence for a moment.  
  
"Nyeesh," Zigzag said. "Does that mean we have to--"  
  
He didn't finish. Magnet's hand was clamped over his mouth. "No Shovel Head," he said. "We tell each other what we think about each other."  
  
At first Zigzag didn't say anything. He just sat completely still. But soon enough he nodded.  
  
"All right," Mom said, "Who should we start with?"  
  
He looked around the tent. "Ah, Alan. Tell us what you think about Ricky."  
  
"Well, he's kinda tall. He's kinda weird, but in a really cool way. And he's kinda tall and cool."  
  
Mom gave him a stern look which probably meant that he was going to say "Tell us what you really think about him".  
  
"Tell us what you really think about him," Mom said. Like you didn't see that one coming.  
  
"I like him."  
  
They all knew what Mom was going to say next.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause he's cool."  
  
"Okay," Mom said, "That's good enough for me." His eyes looked around the tent for more prey. "Alan, tell us what you think about Zero," was his decision.  
  
Okay, not much of a cliffhanger, but it'll do for me. You should thank the people who got tired of waiting. Thank them 'cause I wrote this in twenty- five minutes (That might be why it's not that good). Thank them 'cause thay read this. Thank yourself 'cause you read this. And you'd better be thanking Edgar Alan Poe for writing poems the way he does. Review (I don't say read and review 'cause if you've just read it and it says read and review that means you would have to read the whole thing over again and again and again and again and again and you'll never get a chance to review)! 


	4. Anyone Can Tell Mom's Gay

My thanks to the ones who reviewed. I'm not sure if many read the last chapter or not, but here's chapter four.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Well?" Mom was putting a lot of pressure on Squid without knowing it. What was he supposed to say? Well, you are about to find out.  
  
"Umm," Squid started. Do you even know where this is going? Expect whatever you will because I can't control your thoughts, but someday I will be able to. "Well, he's kinda short. Kinda creepy. Kinda mysterious. And I think I actually think he's--"  
  
"Hey, Zero," X-Ray called. "Where are you going?"  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Hey, Zero!" Mom ordered, "Get back here!"  
  
Guess what? He didn't listen or reply.  
  
Silence filled the tent. Or cabin. Whatever it looks like to you. You know, that eerie silence that nobody likes. Sooner or later, it got to the boys, but Squid was the only one unappreciated enough to understand, and go out to look for the small boy. Where would he start looking? Who knows? Not you or I know, but we are about to find out.  
  
"Zero!" he called. "Where are you?" He didn't expect an answer, but that's what most guys say when they were looking for someone. If it were a something, then that person must've lost his or her mind. "Can you here me?"  
  
"I'm over here," said a small voice. Now who would've thought that he would speak like that? More or less many.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Squid as he sat down next to Zero on the side of D-tent or D-cabin.  
  
"I just wanted to."  
  
"Wanted to what?"  
  
"I guess I just wanted to," Zero simply said.  
  
"All right. We should be heading back in." Squid stood up. "You comin'?"  
  
Zero got up and walked past Squid to D-tent.  
  
"I guess so," Squid said, and followed Zero in.  
  
"Where have you two been?" asked Mom.  
  
"Well, you know. We were just--" Squid didn't get to finish.  
  
"Just sit down guys," X-Ray said, "and forget about what happened after Squid said what he thought about Zero. Okay?"  
  
"Sure," mumbled Squid. He wasn't really happy with being ignored even though he should have been used to it by now.  
  
"So Rex," Mom said. "Why don't you tell us what you think of Ricky?"  
  
At that moment Squid suddenly realized that Mom must have been gay. Why was he asking them what they thought about each other? It was just sick and wrong. And demented. And crazy. And synonyms for all four of the words I used to describe Mom's behavior. Of course, you agree with me, right?  
  
"Why me again?" Zigzag complained.  
  
"Because I think that you're misunderstood," Mom replied.  
  
"Anyways, I think that he's tall, cool and weird. In a cool way," X- Ray said.  
  
"You boys have got to talk more," Mom muttered. "I have two words: Conversational skills."  
  
Zigzag counted the words on his fingers. "That's six words," he said.  
  
Mom shook his head. "No, it isn't."  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"No, it isn't  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"No, it isn't."  
  
"Yes, it is! So shut the fuck up! Both of you!" Squid exclaimed.  
  
"Wow, Squid," Caveman said. "You must really like the word 'fuck'."  
  
"Don't blame me," Squid said as he sat down. "I grew up with the word."  
  
"I think that was enough," Mom said as he got up to leave. "We will continue this meeting-disussion-tomorrow." He left.  
  
The fortunate boys let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they were out of Mom's clutches.  
  
"What time is it?" asked X-Ray.  
  
Armpit took a glance at his bare right wrist. "I'd say it's around nine forty-five."  
  
"How would you know?" asked Magnet.  
  
Armpit showed them his right wrist. "You like it? It's new."  
  
"Whoa," Zigzag breathed. "That things priceless!"  
  
"Yeah," X-Ray said, turning away from Armpit, "Well, we better get to sleep."  
  
The others agreed. They didn't want to be digging at the hottest part of the day. Would you? I wouldn't. Remember, this is Texas we're talking about here.  
  
Squid fell on his cot. For no reason at all, he wondered when they would get a new kid in their tent. Actually, there was a reason. He wanted to get his mind off of the raven that appeared in his dreams. But I shouldn't have brought that up because as I type about it he thinks about it. Quite sorry. I am also sorry to say that he had another bad dream.  
  
I appeared in the same room. I guess I might as well live here. I mean, it's in almost all of my dreams now, so why let go of it? But then again, I do want to get rid of that tapping.  
  
"Hello my friend. Good day, good day. This is not the end. I would like for you to pay," the raven said.  
  
"What's that tapping?" I asked.  
  
"Open the door and you will see. You will have an answer that'll indeed be me!"  
  
I cautiously approached the tapping door. When I opened it I had to look down to see that the raven was right. On the floor standing was the raven. I backed away and looked up, but didn't see the raven on 'my' chamber door. Oh no. What's happening?  
  
"Wake up, you slackers," Mom said. "You're already two minutes late. How much later can young boy delinquents get? I mean, you always say that you may be a criminal, but you have a 'good heart'. So why waste your time of proving that to the real world by sleeping? Sheesh! It's common sense!"  
  
By now, all of the boys were out of the tent/cabin and in the Wreck Room. Mom didn't notice because he had closed his eyes. But now, as he opened them, he ran out and said, "Hey! Wait up! Wait for me!"  
  
"Hey Mom," Armpit said sarcastically. "Good to see ya."  
  
"Good to see you too, Theodore," he said, tipping his hat in a gay- natured way.  
  
How gay could he get? Well, if you don't want to find out then I suggest you not read the rest of this chapter. But, if you want to know what happens to dear Squid and Zero, then please, continue.  
  
Out on the dried-up lake, the boys were digging far, far away from the camp. It would take at least ten minutes to get back. That's a little long, right? If it really isn't, then it would seem that way. It was so hot that Zigzag's hair stood straight up. He actually looked kind of cool. But hot. No, not that kind of hot! You know, dog hot. Not a good example. Well, you get it, right?  
  
"I told you we would be digging at the hottest part of the day," X- Ray told them.  
  
"No, you said--" Zigzag started.  
  
"I know what I said, so just dig."  
  
"But you said--"  
  
"Dig!"  
  
"Okay, okay. I will."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I'll get him back," muttered Zigzag as he dug. "When I get an idea, that is."  
  
The water truck came and went three times. Finally, Squid was heading towards the camp compound. And how surprising it was to hear a 'boo' coming from Zero in broad daylight. Actually, it was I in the tebin, but it was still bright in there.  
  
"Boo."  
  
Squid yelped and turned around. He sighed. "Oh, hey Zero. You scared me."  
  
Zero smiled faintly. "I guess it's what I do."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Squid asked.  
  
Zero didn't answer. He just headed towards the shower room.  
  
"Weird guy," Squid said to himself. Or so he thought.  
  
"I know."  
  
He yelped again. It was like Scare Squid Day. "What is it, Scare Squid Day?" He turned around and saw Magnet.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing," Squid answered.  
  
"Whatever. See ya." With that, Magnet left.  
  
Squid was glad that he had had such a small amount of conversation skills. He didn't really feel like talking to anybody.  
  
Dinner passed like normal, a phrase which here means "Magnet, Squid and Zigzag getting into a fight, only to have X-Ray, Armpit and Caveman break it up".  
  
"I wonder what Barfbag's doing," Squid said.  
  
X-Ray looked at him. "Sorry man, too tired to talk. Right guys?"  
  
The others slowly nodded in agreement and, in unison, fell onto their cots.  
  
"Okay. So, wanna go to sleep now?" Squid suggested.  
  
"Might as well. I don't think we have anything else to do," Caveman said.  
  
The others agreed.  
  
"All right. Night guys," X-Ray said.  
  
Squid didn't know that he had earned himself another dream. Only longer and weirder.  
  
Wow, that was short. Sorry for the really long wait. I was going to post it on the 24, but I never really got a chance at the computer. Review! But if you haven't read this chapter yet but you're here anyways, read and review! 


	5. Last Forever Dream

What are you looking here for? Just start reading chapter five! Oh, and, as you can see, it's pretty short. Anyway, on with this chapter.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Back in this room again. Could this get any worse? But then again, the raven's here, so I guess it can get worse. Although.  
  
"Never fear," it said.  
  
"Why?" I asked.  
  
"Master's here."  
  
I turned around and saw what the raven was talking about. Who it was talking about.  
  
Wait.  
  
This can't be right. But it is.  
  
The master is.Zero.  
  
"Now that you have seen him, you may never tell. I will take my leave. Farewell, farewell." With that, the annoying and creepy raven left the chamber.  
  
Zero was staring at me. Him? Why him? Well, I guess it makes sense. But how?  
  
"So, you've found me at last," said Zero.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"This was all a plan," he said.  
  
"A plan to do what?" I asked.  
  
"A plan to get you."  
  
"Get me? For what?"  
  
Zero just stared back at me. His eyes turned pure black and he began to shrink. Is that even possible? But he did. Why? Uh-oh. What's that black stuff comin' from his arms? Holy shit, they're feathers! Holy crap, he's turning into a raven! A raven?  
  
Zero cawed and flew up. Can he talk? He landed on the chamber door. Now what's gonna happen?  
  
He stared down at me. Soon enough he flew back down and turned into Zero in his long, black robes.  
  
"I have a pet raven. HAD a pet raven," he said.  
  
"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.  
  
"I needed to find someone who I could 'trust'. But of course, I couldn't trust anyone. So, when you were awake, I was still asleep. But my raven appeared in my dream to send me a message."  
  
"A message about what?"  
  
"Hang on, hang on, I'm getting there. Rave told me to get someone to believe in him."  
  
"Now I believe in him."  
  
"Not necessarily."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"In order to believe in MY raven, you have to SEE him."  
  
"But I already have."  
  
"That wasn't Rave. That was another raven."  
  
"Another raven?"  
  
"Yes, one of Rave's friends."  
  
"Then where is Rave?"  
  
"You have to find him. But until you do, I'm afraid you'll be stuck here with me."  
  
"What are you going to be doing?"  
  
"Watching you."  
  
Great. I'm stuck here to look for a stupid raven. "Ow!" I turned to Zero. "What was that for?"  
  
"He's not stupid."  
  
"You mean you can read my mind?"  
  
"I don't mean anything, but yes, I can."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Because I'm in your dream and dreams occur in minds."  
  
"Ooooookaaaay."  
  
I walked over to the shelf filled with books. One by one the books hit the floor as I pulled them out. Why was this my first choice? 'Cause it's a book shelf. If you don't get it, then think about mystery games and movies.  
  
"I see what you're aiming for. But I can't wait to see what you'll try next."  
  
I turned to look at Zero. His voice was very intimidating at the moment. Ignoring what he said, I continued to let the books fall from the shelf and onto the floor. This was going to be a long dream.  
  
Wow, that was really short. I couldn't think of much to happen. This story is almost over. Two or three more chapters. Short story, huh? Well, review! Or if you're here without having read the chapter yet, read and review! 


	6. Getting Out and Going Back

Well, here's chapter six!  
  
READ IT!!!!!  
  
Chapter Six  
  
I finally pulled the last book out. The shelf wasn't all that big, but I was still a little tired. I kneeled down on the floor to look for a loose floorboard. My fingers traveled along the cracks in between, but nothing was loose or missing.  
  
"Ha," laughed Zero, "You look like a fool. Now what? Are you going to look around the door?"  
  
Surprisingly enough, I did.  
  
"To think that you actually listened."  
  
I ignored him. I opened the chamber door, only to find it empty and black..  
  
Where was I supposed to find this stupid bird? There was no way. Maybe there was something in the ceiling.  
  
"Please, don't even try," begged Zero. "I would probably die of laughter."  
  
His comments were cruel. So cruel that I listened to him again and didn't look at the ceiling. What could be up there anyway?  
  
"Nothing that would help you," muttered Zero.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nothing. Get back to searching," he commanded.  
  
Anywhere else? Well, maybe the fireplace.  
  
I waited for Zero to say something. But nothing came. Can you still read my mind.?  
  
He didn't say anything.  
  
Yes! I think I'm free.  
  
Still, he didn't say anything.  
  
I guess I am. Anyway, I made my way across the floor when I felt something sting me on my right shoulder. When I looked, nothing was there. I continued to walk. Another something stung me on my left forearm. I looked. Nothing. When I made my way across, I was too tired to move anymore. What's happening to me?  
  
_~_;  
  
"Hey, he's up!"  
  
"Good. I don't wanna lose a digger."  
  
"Aww.don't you care about anything else?"  
  
"Like.?"  
  
"Murder."  
  
"You always say that," Caveman said.  
  
Squid opened his eyes and saw X-Ray, Zigzag, Caveman, Armpit and Magnet hovering above his face.  
  
"Whoa!" he cried and shot up. He looked around. "Where am I?"  
  
The five looked at each other and uneasily replied, "We don't know."  
  
Wait, this place looks familiar, thought Squid. Zigzag grabbed his right arm. The whole place started spinning very quickly. He gasped and looked up. Suddenly it came to him.  
  
_~_;  
  
I stared out into the sky. It was bright, but I wasn't allowed outside. I was never allowed outside.  
  
"Come here, honey. And bring a bucket."  
  
That was my sick mother. She was infected by a horrible disease. How? We don't know how, but we're still trying to figure it out.  
  
I walked over to the stairs and looked down.  
  
"All right."  
  
I ran down the stairs and looked around. It was dark and damp. Not much was in it. A bowl, a cup, some clothes and a bucket. I picked up the bucket. My mom had sent me to go find it the first time she hadn't been feeling well.  
  
As I made my way up, I heard something. Deciding that it wasn't important, I continued up the stairs.  
  
"Here," I said as I gave my mom the bucket.  
  
"Thank you, sweetie," she said.  
  
I looked at her sadly, wondering if we were going to survive like this. It was doubtedly, but we could try.  
  
:_~_:  
  
Two years had passed, and I really thought we were going to make it. But then, we found it, lying in the street. It was a raven egg.  
  
:_~_:  
  
A month had went by. My mom was still sick, and we were kicked out from our old home. Now we lived underground. We had dug our home. That took us a month.  
  
As for the raven, it was starting to bring problems to us. Bringing a weird presence with it wherever it went. I had asked my mom if she had felt it, but she always said that she was too tired to even care about the bird.  
  
But I took care of it. I had always wanted a pet. Half a year ago, I was so desperate that I had even thought up of an imaginary giraffe. But he was gone now. Now I had a raven. But something's wrong with him.  
  
"CAAAWWW!!" called the raven.  
  
I made my way to the empty underground room connected to the main underground room by a tunnel. It was very empty. And at night, when I walk down the tunnel to get to my raven, I sometimes get a little scared.  
  
"CAAAAAAAAAAWWW!!!" the raven called again.  
  
I'm coming you stupid bird, I thought. "I'm coming."  
  
The raven got on my nerves whenever it would call to me like that. That all started a week and six days ago.  
  
When I got into the room, the same eerie cold swept over me. With no door or no window, it was hard to come by good air in the middle of summer. Maybe the cold was getting to him.  
  
"Crraaaaaaaww." it murmured.  
  
I came over to the raven. "Hey Rave. What's wrong? Are you cold? Or are you hot?"  
  
It crowed again. I got nearer, and nearer, until suddenly.  
  
;_~_;  
  
Well, that's it for this chapter! It took me forever to think of this because I just got back into playing video games. So, review/read and review! 


	7. Who Did It?

Okay, I forgot your pen name, but I have played GTF: Vice City before. As for all the other games, I've heard of them, but have never played them.  
  
On with chapter seven.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Whoa, Squid thought, what the hell was that?  
  
"Hey, Squidly," Armpit said, "Are you okay?"  
  
Squid looked up at him. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."  
  
"What's up with you?" asked X-Ray.  
  
"Nothing. I think I know where we are now." Squid looked at Zigzag. "You can let go of me now."  
  
"Oh, sorry," he apologized, and let go.  
  
"So, where do you think we are?" Caveman asked.  
  
"Guys."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I think we're in Zero's house."  
  
They all gaped at him.  
  
"Are you serious?" asked X-Ray.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, right!"  
  
"It's true. I just saw a vision," Squid said.  
  
"Anyone here believe him?" asked Magnet.  
  
"I do," Zigzag said, raising his hand.  
  
"Anyone besides Zigzag?"  
  
Caveman raised his hand a little. "I kind of do."  
  
"What!" X-Ray exclaimed. "You guys gotta be kidding. Squid, prove it."  
  
He swallowed. "Sure. Follow me downstairs."  
  
X-Ray shook his head in disappointment, but followed him. They walked down the hall, left. There. There were the stairs. They all slowly crept down the steps.  
  
Squid stopped and turned around. "All right. There should be a bucket and some clothes."  
  
He turned around and they saw that he was almost correct.  
  
"All right," X-Ray said. "You were almost right. But you missed the bowl and cup."  
  
"Just a minor problem. Lay off X," Caveman said.  
  
X-Ray snarled at him.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" asked Armpit.  
  
They all walked to where Armpit was kneeled over at. He was looking at a black feather. Squid picked it up and was teleported somewhere. Somewhere familiar.  
  
:_~_:  
  
This place looks familiar, Squid thought. Of course it did.  
  
"This is where they raised the ra-Zero's raven, Rave." Squid looked around, noticing that his friends weren't anywhere nearby. "But am I really in the same spot?"  
  
In particular, he was in the cold room, where the raven-Rave-had stayed. Squid shivered. The room was amazingly cold.  
  
"How could Zero live like this?"  
  
At that moment he saw a human and bird skeleton. Wait, what's that?  
  
There was something red in the chest of the human skeleton. As Squid inched closer, he noticed what it was.  
  
"Aww.that's gross, even for a guy!" It was a human heart. He wanted to throw up, but all he could do was gag.  
  
Being the no-brainer that he was, Squid picked up the heart. His hands were shaking. Hell, his whole body was shaking. Now, being the no-no- no-brainer that he was, he took a random stick from the floor and cut the heart open. Inside it was an even smaller heart. He cut that one open too. All of a sudden a blinding light erupted from the smaller heart and he fell.  
  
;_~_;  
  
A bright light filled the room, nearly knocking me over. Once it was over, a glowing blue ball floated in front of me. It pried through my skin and I was knocked down. I blanked out.  
  
When I opened my eyes, the ball was gone. What was that thing? I didn't know and I didn't want to find out. But I had no choice, for Rave spoke his last words:  
  
"I'm inside of you."  
  
:_~_:  
  
Squid felt the sudden rush of heat come over him. Where was he? He looked around and saw the oh so lovable holes that surrounded him. Back at Green Lake, he thought. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Hey, man. Get up."  
  
When he opened his eyes he saw Magnet trying to pull him up. "Sure." Magnet held out his hand and Squid took it, pulling himself up.  
  
"What happened?" Squid asked.  
  
"Mom told me to look for you. The other guys are in the Wreck Room," said Magnet.  
  
"Zero. Where's Zero?" Squid practically screamed.  
  
"Oh. I don't think you're gonna like what you're gonna hear."  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"All right."  
  
So, here's what happened: When Squid was reported missing, Zero was reported dead. How? Nobody knew. They just found his body in D-tent. The D- tent boys now have to share with A-tent, since their tebin was being investigated. Everyone accused Mom of murder, since he never really liked Zero, but they knew he was too gay to do that.  
  
Squid fell down on his knees in front of D-tent. How could this happen? Whoever did this to Zero deserved to die.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" asked Magnet pointing in the sky. A huge cry came from it and everyone in the Wreck Room was now looking out the windows.  
  
Squid finally gathered the courage to turn around. But he shouldn't have. The object got nearer and nearer until it was clearly a raven.  
  
"Rave.he's.he's out to get me."  
  
Rave came down, fast as ever. Then, out of nowhere, he dropped dead. Or was he?  
  
Of course, the blinding light came again and everyone but Squid disappeared. A glowing ball rose up in front of Squid and it made it's way to his heart. In a flash of lightning, everyone reappeared.  
  
Squid turned to Magnet. "Help.me."  
  
So you decide: Who killed Zero?  
  
;_~_;  
  
This story is over. Tell me if you want to know what happened after this. If you want to know, then put it in your review and I will make the epilogue. 


End file.
